The Two-Body Problem: Dual-Career-Couple Hiring Practices in Higher Education (review)

Why should colleges and universities care about accommodating dual-career couples? Because institutions that fail to do so may miss out on the best qualified applicants. Dual-career couples, a growing trend in the United States, are usually unwilling to relocate for the advancement of one partner without suitable opportunities for the other. In higher education, research suggests that dual-career assistance aids faculty recruitment, retention, and performance. Accommodating academic couples, however, is difficult. Academic careers are highly specialized; job openings are few and often located in isolated areas.

Until now, there were few policy studies to guide colleges and universities in their response to the needs of dual-career academic couples. The Two-Body Problem presents the first comprehensive study to examine such practices. Based on an extensive national survey, telephone interviews, and in-depth case studies of public and private colleges and universities, Lisa Wolf-Wendel, Susan B. Twombly, and Suzanne Rice map the range of policies and practices used to address spouse/partner employment needs, explore the benefits and consequences of each, and analyze institutional characteristics that facilitate or hinder specific strategies. This review summarizes the book and critiques its usefulness for higher education policy development.

The authors found that most colleges and universities receive requests for dual-career accommodations from their faculty recruits and are willing to help, yet only a quarter have policies in place for addressing such needs. Accommodation strategies fall into five typologies: (a) relocation services, (b) shared advertising, (c) non-tenure track and adjunct faculty positions, (d) split and shared positions, and (e) tenure-track positions. The authors describe the extent and nature of each typology, detail several examples through case studies, and explore their benefits and limitations. Several common concerns arise. Are dual-career accommodations fair? Are they legal? Do they erode faculty quality and diminish faculty autonomy in hiring?

The authors explore these concerns and conclude: (a) Accommodation is not perceived as unfair in principle, although it may become unfair in practice, when accommodations are inappropriate or inadequate; (b) Accommodations are legal and not likely to lead to discrimination against protected classifications if policies are strictly followed; and (c) Accommodations do not necessarily erode faculty quality nor diminish faculty autonomy, as long as standard institutional processes and hiring criteria are followed, including faculty prerogatives for reviewing candidates and making hiring decisions.

In assessing the range of strategies used to address spouse/partner accommodations, The Two-Body Problem reports on many considerations such as the goals underlying the formation of policies and practices, the perceived barriers to implementing or sustaining such policies, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

Barriers to implementing accommodation policies are the same concerns as those raised about such practices themselves—issues of equity, autonomy, quality, legality—but also practical administrative concerns such as the labor, cooperation, and resources required to make such practices work well. Administrative inertia and faculty resistance emerge as the main reasons why so many institutions have opted for ad hoc approaches rather than creating formal policy. Yet ad hoc approaches, while partly effective in helping to recruit and retain faculty, run the danger of diminishing morale and causing resentment because they lack uniformity and clarity.

While the authors offer conclusions regarding each strategy, they also make several overarching points: (a) Accommodations are usually made when the initial hires are highly desired because of their acclaimed accomplishments, research interests, and professional or personal diversity that they would bring; (b) No single approach will be satisfactory to everyone involved—couples and institutions are simply too unique in their needs; and (c) Successful approaches minimize problems, address issues of fairness, quality, and faculty autonomy, and focus on the possibilities. If handled properly, the authors see dual-career accommodations as offering more advantages than disadvantages to both institutions and couples. They propose long-range planning that...